Grass Fire Should be a Warning

It was quickly extinguished, but yesterday's grass fire in West Pugwash should start some alarm bells.

The call came in mid afternoon, and the Pugwash Fire Department dispatched three crews to the scene along Highway 6 just west of the village. They were joined by a passing employee from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) who was equipped with light fire fighting gear. Together, they put out the fire in a few minutes.

Driving by the scene you couldn't help but wonder how such lush, green grass could burn like that. The fact is, it was not the lush grass that was ablaze, it was the dead and dry material under the grass, and that is like tinder.

Until the last few days, our weather has been less that summery, feeling damp, cold, and even rainy. But in truth, the land is dry, so dry, in fact, the provincial warning system tells us that most of the province should be on alert.

The forest fire index is high for much of the province, but extreme for all of the Six Rivers region. Yes, it looks lush around us, but looks can be deceiving. Be safe out there folks, think safety.

The map shows extreme conditions in red, while orange is very high, and yellow is high. Just a few days ago, most of the province was covered in red with a little orange and nothing else.